Gaining practical insights
A solvent may appear promising on paper, but successful membrane fabrication depends on much more than polymer solubility. The polymer must dissolve at the required concentration, the solution must be processable, and the complete system must provide a realistic route towards membrane fabrication. EMI Twente combines solubility predictions with targeted laboratory screening and solution characterization. This allows us to assess whether a solvent shows sufficient potential to justify further membrane development.
The Solvent Scan helps answer three key questions:
- Can the solvent dissolve polymers relevant to the intended application?
- Are the resulting polymer solutions suitable for further processing?
- Is the system promising enough to continue with membrane casting or spinning hollow fibers?
What you receive
Following the assessment, you receive a practical technical evaluation of your solvent-polymer system including:
- The most promising solvent and polymer combinations
- The potential for membrane fabrication
- Identified limitations or risks during the screening
- Recommendations for formulation and process optimization
- Advice on the most relevant next step for your project
We help you understand whether the polymer/solvent combination is ready to move towards membrane development.
Continue when the potential is there
If the Solvent Scan identifies a promising system, EMI Twente can support the next stages of development. Our capabilities for possible extensions include:
- Compatibility testing with additives such as pore formers and viscosity modifiers
- Development and casting of flat sheet membranes
- Hollow fiber spinning trials with membrane characterization
- Process optimization support
Each next step can be tailored to the material, intended membrane geometry and final application. Whether your goal is proof of concept or pilot-scale, we can support with the complete development.